Hey guys!
So it's week three already! And our speaker, Dave Giltnan from Darwin [up on the north coast], is filling us in on 'Fear of the Lord.' He has been sharing some really good stuff. Good braining feeding stuff. I learned a little Hebrew today, YIRAT ADONAI is the translation of 'fear of the Lord.' YIRAT means reverence and ADONAI is a name for God, with more weight on his greatness [there's lots of words for Lord in Hebrew all meaning something seperate].
In understanding the Hebrew context, the definition of the 'fear of the Lord' can be described as 'reverential awe.' Which is not about rules at all. For face value, people think fearing the Lord is simply following His commands because you're scared of him [of course that is part of it], but when you think of reverence and being in awe of God, it's more of wanting to do what He says because you are completely overwhelmed by His greatness and His love. :) Plus, fear in the sense of being scared is not of God! So, don't be sceeered! haha
Well that's all for today...
<3 you all!!!!
Jade
I love this verse he shared with us from Exodus 33:11-
"The Lord would speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks with a friend."
Monday, January 28, 2008
Sunday, January 27, 2008
"Aussie, aussie, aussie. Oi, oi, oi!"
HAPPY AUSTRALIA DAY!
Today is the observed national holiday, however we actually CELEBRATED it on Saturday.
This picture is with some of my girls down at Mooloolaba beach, just after we cooked [not shrimp] on the 'barbie'... Mmmmm. Then we headed down to the beach for the fireworks [which did not even compare to Long's Park's!] Regardless, it was awesome to see fireworks over the water :)
So let me paint you a picture... lots and lots of crazy Aussie's on the beach, AC/DC in the background [Shout out to you, Matt!], people wearing Australia flags as capes [very fashionable] and random people yelling, "Aussie, aussie, aussie!" [pronounced 'ozzie'] And patriotic friends [me!] yelling back in response, "Oi, oi, oi!" It was the best Australia day I ever had! ;) ...... hahah.
So.... is it snowing back home or what? Someone fill me in!
<3>
p.s. We didn't reverse the flag on purpose... we're just foreigners... what do you expect! :)
Saturday, January 26, 2008
Apologies, apologies... this is wayyyy overdue!
Hello everyone!
The staff has been really encouraging us [like everyday] to really TAKE IT ALL IN because DTS is over before you know it. I can definitely start to see why… this week just flew by!
So, where to begin…
Well, Boris was just sheer entertainment and he did and awesome job at really challenging us to think about A LOT more than just hearing God’s voice. We talked about personalities and the way we relate to each other and how that relates to the way we interact with God. To pretty much sum up how Boris feels about our relationship with God is: Keep is simple, and keep it real. Don’t get into all the hype. How’s that for to-the-point?
So, I’m sure you’re all wondering…
I’M GOING TO INDONESIA!
In just 8 weeks I will be heading off to a little island of Indonesia called Nias [pronounced knee-os]. And I am so excited. God definitely revealed to me some major things, good things, about myself and what gets-me-going, so to speak.
So I'll start from the beginning... On tuesday night the leaders of each outreach team presented their locations and details about what their teams would be doing, then we had fifteen! minutes to pray about where God wanted us to go. The options were Africa, Cambodia, Philippines, or Indonesia.
With all this hearing the voice of God business, I sat there and prayed feeling quite 'under pressure'... you know, for something cool and exciting and like supernatural to happen, haha :)
But God simply imprinted ‘sacrifice’ in my mind. And so, the awesome Christian thing to do is look up the word sacrifice in the concordance and go from there… so that’s what I did. And, it wasn’t there. [I’m sure you’re probably all asking what kind of weird Bible I have…]
Then I just felt like God was telling me to go back to the book of Hebrews [which I had finished reading just two hours before we went to the church that night], but I went to Hebrews regardless of my 'know-it-all-attitude' and God gave me this from Hebrews 10:26:
“If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, but only a fearful expectation of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God.”
Through this verse [which I’m sure most of you are like, “okay…...”] God just revealed to me the times when I am the most on fire, and yearning for more, and growing into a deeper relationship with Him, and it is definitely when I am reading my Bible [not just for a key scripture here and there, but really READING it to learn], when I’m teaching [like in my small group, shout out to my Mizpah ladies!], when I’m reading other books from people who have thoughts to share [Rob Bell! who is just amazingly intelligent] and when I can share with people and talk and debate about the things I’m learning at the moment. That’s when I grow deeper with God.
So how does this relate to Indonesia?
Well let me tell you. Indonesia is an Islam nation. However, a couple of Dutch men started a revival on the small island of Nias over four hundred years ago, which led to the entire island to Jesus. To this day, Nias is the only island of Indonesia which accepts Christianity. So, you might be wondering what we’re going to be doing then huh? Well, at this point, the churches of Nias are similar to the Corinthian church. They most certainly accept what Jesus stands for, but they are just having a horrible time living their lives for Him. The churches (of which there are many) fight and argue about the 'small' things like, how to baptize, who can preach, etc. So our awesome and mighty task is discipleship. Which, at first thought, really freaked me out. But isn’t it awesome how God revealed to me that that is when I’m doing my best work for Jesus!? By learning and sharing and growoing with others. I realized that I need to be probed and questioned and thrown into things to really dig in deeper with God.
How awesome is that! I am super super excited.
So, can you guys please start praying;
For our team [that is Jeremy, Reba < our two leaders! Kodan, Bree, Rebecaa, Paul and me!] that God would prepare our hearts.
For the Indonesian people we will get the chance to grow with.
From now until the day we leave, we meet thursday mornings with our outreach teams to pray and work out details, etc. So I’ll be putting up more specific prayer requests soon!
Well, on a lighter note, here's another thing I’ve learned in the first two weeks… girls can eat!
Each week, YWAM staff [Miss Pattie, a native Texan, to be specific] buys us staple groceries like bread, butter, milk, yogurt, cereal, some fruit, etc. And let me tell you, it does not stick around for long… And let me tell you something else- The way to a woman’s heart may be her stomach too! These girls are getting territorial over some of the goods. haha. Living with these girls is still awesome though. Challenging but fun. :)
There are sooo many things I want to share. But I am seriously beginning to think I can start writing a novel! With that being said, I honsetly want to apologize for the lack of posts. I am going to make it a point from this day forward to at least drop a few lines each afternoon after lunch. So pray for me to be disciplined enough to prepare posts in advance and my laptop [charged!] and keep me accountable... yell at me! :)
<3 and miss you dearly,
Jade
The staff has been really encouraging us [like everyday] to really TAKE IT ALL IN because DTS is over before you know it. I can definitely start to see why… this week just flew by!
So, where to begin…
Well, Boris was just sheer entertainment and he did and awesome job at really challenging us to think about A LOT more than just hearing God’s voice. We talked about personalities and the way we relate to each other and how that relates to the way we interact with God. To pretty much sum up how Boris feels about our relationship with God is: Keep is simple, and keep it real. Don’t get into all the hype. How’s that for to-the-point?
So, I’m sure you’re all wondering…
I’M GOING TO INDONESIA!
In just 8 weeks I will be heading off to a little island of Indonesia called Nias [pronounced knee-os]. And I am so excited. God definitely revealed to me some major things, good things, about myself and what gets-me-going, so to speak.
So I'll start from the beginning... On tuesday night the leaders of each outreach team presented their locations and details about what their teams would be doing, then we had fifteen! minutes to pray about where God wanted us to go. The options were Africa, Cambodia, Philippines, or Indonesia.
With all this hearing the voice of God business, I sat there and prayed feeling quite 'under pressure'... you know, for something cool and exciting and like supernatural to happen, haha :)
But God simply imprinted ‘sacrifice’ in my mind. And so, the awesome Christian thing to do is look up the word sacrifice in the concordance and go from there… so that’s what I did. And, it wasn’t there. [I’m sure you’re probably all asking what kind of weird Bible I have…]
Then I just felt like God was telling me to go back to the book of Hebrews [which I had finished reading just two hours before we went to the church that night], but I went to Hebrews regardless of my 'know-it-all-attitude' and God gave me this from Hebrews 10:26:
“If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, but only a fearful expectation of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God.”
Through this verse [which I’m sure most of you are like, “okay…...”] God just revealed to me the times when I am the most on fire, and yearning for more, and growing into a deeper relationship with Him, and it is definitely when I am reading my Bible [not just for a key scripture here and there, but really READING it to learn], when I’m teaching [like in my small group, shout out to my Mizpah ladies!], when I’m reading other books from people who have thoughts to share [Rob Bell! who is just amazingly intelligent] and when I can share with people and talk and debate about the things I’m learning at the moment. That’s when I grow deeper with God.
So how does this relate to Indonesia?
Well let me tell you. Indonesia is an Islam nation. However, a couple of Dutch men started a revival on the small island of Nias over four hundred years ago, which led to the entire island to Jesus. To this day, Nias is the only island of Indonesia which accepts Christianity. So, you might be wondering what we’re going to be doing then huh? Well, at this point, the churches of Nias are similar to the Corinthian church. They most certainly accept what Jesus stands for, but they are just having a horrible time living their lives for Him. The churches (of which there are many) fight and argue about the 'small' things like, how to baptize, who can preach, etc. So our awesome and mighty task is discipleship. Which, at first thought, really freaked me out. But isn’t it awesome how God revealed to me that that is when I’m doing my best work for Jesus!? By learning and sharing and growoing with others. I realized that I need to be probed and questioned and thrown into things to really dig in deeper with God.
How awesome is that! I am super super excited.
So, can you guys please start praying;
For our team [that is Jeremy, Reba < our two leaders! Kodan, Bree, Rebecaa, Paul and me!] that God would prepare our hearts.
For the Indonesian people we will get the chance to grow with.
From now until the day we leave, we meet thursday mornings with our outreach teams to pray and work out details, etc. So I’ll be putting up more specific prayer requests soon!
Well, on a lighter note, here's another thing I’ve learned in the first two weeks… girls can eat!
Each week, YWAM staff [Miss Pattie, a native Texan, to be specific] buys us staple groceries like bread, butter, milk, yogurt, cereal, some fruit, etc. And let me tell you, it does not stick around for long… And let me tell you something else- The way to a woman’s heart may be her stomach too! These girls are getting territorial over some of the goods. haha. Living with these girls is still awesome though. Challenging but fun. :)
There are sooo many things I want to share. But I am seriously beginning to think I can start writing a novel! With that being said, I honsetly want to apologize for the lack of posts. I am going to make it a point from this day forward to at least drop a few lines each afternoon after lunch. So pray for me to be disciplined enough to prepare posts in advance and my laptop [charged!] and keep me accountable... yell at me! :)
<3 and miss you dearly,
Jade
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
"And guess who my roommate was? Right, Mr. I-don't-know-where-Europe-is..."
Hey all!
I am so excited that we’re really getting into lectures. Last week was completely necessary (lots and lots of testimonies!)but I am ready to really hear what the speakers have to say and learn and grow, and all that good stuff.
This week’s lecture topic is Hearing the voice of God. All week we have the same speaker- Boris Schaber. He’s from Germany and absolutely hilarious. [I'm sure you're all wondering, that was a quote from him on Monday. Just try to hear that with a German/Aussie accent, funny funny stuff.] Basically, he shared his entire life story so far and how God has spoken to him. Just incredible story/stories… I am definitely going to enjoy hearing what he has to share the rest this week.
To pick just one thing he shared today that stuck out to me:
World’s process
Knowledge Go to college to be a teacher and learn all the theories on
↓ how to educate students.
Understanding Become a teacher, and realize a real live classroom full of
↓ 30 pre-pubescent students has nothing to do with theory.
Wisdom You become old and gray and can criticize all the young
↓ new teachers and give them good words of advice on how it’s done.
God’s process
Wisdom God told Noah to build an arc because it was going t
↓ flood. Keep in mind, it had NEVER rained before, so this
was very special wisdom.
Understanding The rain started to come and Noah said, "Oooohhh. I get it." He
completely understood why God wanted him to build that boat!
↓
Knowledge At the point of the flood, Noah had much knowledge... how to
↓ construct a boat, and every animal of the earth, really good 'people skills'
from having to deal with major opposition to everyone around him, and a
whole slew of other things God taught him in the process.
Basically, you can either be 17 or 70, either way God will use who He wants. He’ll give you the wisdom, understanding and knowledge if you LET Him. And chances are God will speak to you in ways that are of you. By that I mean, if you are a visual learning he might physically show you something or if you are analytical he might make it a very particular process for you to follow.
I am definitely still learning on how God speaks to me, and to be quite honest I feel like a little bit of a crazy person talking about it.
That’s all for today! More to come soon...
<3 you all dearly.
Jade
I am so excited that we’re really getting into lectures. Last week was completely necessary (lots and lots of testimonies!)but I am ready to really hear what the speakers have to say and learn and grow, and all that good stuff.
This week’s lecture topic is Hearing the voice of God. All week we have the same speaker- Boris Schaber. He’s from Germany and absolutely hilarious. [I'm sure you're all wondering, that was a quote from him on Monday. Just try to hear that with a German/Aussie accent, funny funny stuff.] Basically, he shared his entire life story so far and how God has spoken to him. Just incredible story/stories… I am definitely going to enjoy hearing what he has to share the rest this week.
To pick just one thing he shared today that stuck out to me:
World’s process
Knowledge Go to college to be a teacher and learn all the theories on
↓ how to educate students.
Understanding Become a teacher, and realize a real live classroom full of
↓ 30 pre-pubescent students has nothing to do with theory.
Wisdom You become old and gray and can criticize all the young
↓ new teachers and give them good words of advice on how it’s done.
God’s process
Wisdom God told Noah to build an arc because it was going t
↓ flood. Keep in mind, it had NEVER rained before, so this
was very special wisdom.
Understanding The rain started to come and Noah said, "Oooohhh. I get it." He
completely understood why God wanted him to build that boat!
↓
Knowledge At the point of the flood, Noah had much knowledge... how to
↓ construct a boat, and every animal of the earth, really good 'people skills'
from having to deal with major opposition to everyone around him, and a
whole slew of other things God taught him in the process.
Basically, you can either be 17 or 70, either way God will use who He wants. He’ll give you the wisdom, understanding and knowledge if you LET Him. And chances are God will speak to you in ways that are of you. By that I mean, if you are a visual learning he might physically show you something or if you are analytical he might make it a very particular process for you to follow.
I am definitely still learning on how God speaks to me, and to be quite honest I feel like a little bit of a crazy person talking about it.
That’s all for today! More to come soon...
<3 you all dearly.
Jade
Monday, January 21, 2008
PRAYERS please!
G'day everyone! <<< check out the integration.
I really need you guys to be praying for me in the next couple hours about my outreach location. We find out tonight (your EARLY morning tomorrow) so please say a little prayer for God to show me where He wants me to go.
I'll fill you in as soon as I find out :)
I really need you guys to be praying for me in the next couple hours about my outreach location. We find out tonight (your EARLY morning tomorrow) so please say a little prayer for God to show me where He wants me to go.
I'll fill you in as soon as I find out :)
Sunday, January 20, 2008
...the rest of verse 14 and 15
Ok, I've tried numerous times to edit that post but the end of that verse won't show up. So here it is...
...THEIR HEARTS [mine <3!] WILL GO OUT TO YOU, because of the surpassing grace God has given you. THANKS BE TO GOD FOR HIS INDESCRIBABLE GIFT!"
:)
...THEIR HEARTS [mine <3!] WILL GO OUT TO YOU, because of the surpassing grace God has given you. THANKS BE TO GOD FOR HIS INDESCRIBABLE GIFT!"
:)
Saturday, January 19, 2008
Let's get real.
Hey all!
Well this weekend has been really relaxing and a good chance to get to know everyone, although communication and planning things with a group of 30 people is quite a task. I'm definitely going to have to make an effort to really get to know the girls that live in the other house, and the guys too since they live in a different house.
We went back to GoodLife this morning... I really miss my Living Waterians! :) haha what werid label. I know that everytime I walk into that gym and sit in those chairs I am going to think of you guys, which is definitely a good thing.... hopefully it just doesn't make me cry once I realllllly start to miss you guys! Oh well. Cool thing though, we ran into the guy who sang 'Macho Man' in our aerobic video yesterday!!! How neat is that? GoodLife is his church. And even cooler, he remembered us!... I mean it would be quite difficult to forget crazy foreingers from YWAM doing aerobics on a coffee ship balcony! [pictures to come, I promise!].
Tonight we're having a birthday party for one of the staff here so that'll be a good time to just hang out and "have a chat." Australian's "have a 'everything'"... have a coffee, have a go.... so don't be surprised if I come back saying a few quirky things! I'm integrating :)
I really just wanted to take this chance [now that I have some free time to myself.... everyone's at the beach. Not me, because I got a little more lobster-esque than I had planned yesterday :P] to really share some 'good stuff', some good God stories and what He's laying on my heart these first couple of days, rather than give you random details [not that they aren't interesting!]
I found this verse a few days before I left, and I really wanted to share it with everyone the Sunday that Laura preached, but I just couldn't find the strength to get up there, so here it is:
2 Corinthians 9:6-9 & 12-15
6"Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will aalso reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound in every good work. As it is written:
"He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor; his righteousness endures forever."
12This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of God's people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God. Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, men will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for you generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else. And in their prayers for you THEIR HEARTS [mine <3!] style="color:#6600cc;">
I can't imagine being here not having that support of an amazing, loving, and supportive church FAMILY. Surely, God is so pleased the way Living Waters show their love to one another :)
It was just really on my heart to share that with you all!
I know that I mentioned the wide array of stories and lives here, but I wanted to share with everyone what I have learned [and AM learning] by hearing all of them,
This sums it up: God can not be contained in a box.
I think too often, especially living in the culture and society we live in in Lancaster County, we try to make God make logical and neat sense. But He is waaaayyyyy to big for that.
To be honest, I kind of thought that I would have like the most "radical" [and I say that now laughing... almost histerically] life story. I had assumed that most everyone here would be straight from highschool and with stories maybe of having partied a little or something of the sort but for the most part definitely not being graduated college, having a career as a probation officer, having ALMOST been married, etc., etc. And no one really does, but there are so many people here with some really awesome stories of how God did big things, not the same big things as what He did in my life, but big things nonetheless.
And He is not done for sure. There are people here who don't even know Jesus....... yet :) That blew me away. And made me super super excited at the same time.
Mostly everyone here was raised in a Christian [I use that term lightly] home... going to church, praying, etc. There are only like three of us who haven't been. Which has really made me think, A LOT.
Some of the people here are kind of "falling back" on that foundation. Which is totally awesome. But they've gotten to a point, mostly a point of high school graduation, or had a "job" and needed more, so they're here! For some unknown reason I thought that for someone to apply for a DISCIPLESHIP TRAINING SCHOOL, they would definitely be in a place where they have just had some major realization of how Jesus really wants them to live their life. You know, just like me... But God was like "Umm, excuse me Jade. Please don't try to contain me in a box I don't belong it." [hah, that's what I translated it to :] But seriously, He has definitely opened up my eyes to a major truth.
People are continually searching.
Not just when they know Him and He does big things like save them from making huge "not so good" decisions. But always. And sometimes even when they don't even know that's what they're searching for :)
Well, now that I've taken a good half hour of your day... THANKS FOR LISTENING/READING! I hope you've enjoyed my realness. I just couldn't cheapskate God on the real good stuff that's been going on in this 'ol heart of mine :)
Feedback is more than welcome! My e-mail again, is JLeh108@yahoo.com.
<3 color="#cc33cc">Jade
Well this weekend has been really relaxing and a good chance to get to know everyone, although communication and planning things with a group of 30 people is quite a task. I'm definitely going to have to make an effort to really get to know the girls that live in the other house, and the guys too since they live in a different house.
We went back to GoodLife this morning... I really miss my Living Waterians! :) haha what werid label. I know that everytime I walk into that gym and sit in those chairs I am going to think of you guys, which is definitely a good thing.... hopefully it just doesn't make me cry once I realllllly start to miss you guys! Oh well. Cool thing though, we ran into the guy who sang 'Macho Man' in our aerobic video yesterday!!! How neat is that? GoodLife is his church. And even cooler, he remembered us!... I mean it would be quite difficult to forget crazy foreingers from YWAM doing aerobics on a coffee ship balcony! [pictures to come, I promise!].
Tonight we're having a birthday party for one of the staff here so that'll be a good time to just hang out and "have a chat." Australian's "have a 'everything'"... have a coffee, have a go.... so don't be surprised if I come back saying a few quirky things! I'm integrating :)
I really just wanted to take this chance [now that I have some free time to myself.... everyone's at the beach. Not me, because I got a little more lobster-esque than I had planned yesterday :P] to really share some 'good stuff', some good God stories and what He's laying on my heart these first couple of days, rather than give you random details [not that they aren't interesting!]
I found this verse a few days before I left, and I really wanted to share it with everyone the Sunday that Laura preached, but I just couldn't find the strength to get up there, so here it is:
2 Corinthians 9:6-9 & 12-15
6"Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will aalso reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound in every good work. As it is written:
"He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor; his righteousness endures forever."
12This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of God's people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God. Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, men will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for you generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else. And in their prayers for you THEIR HEARTS [mine <3!] style="color:#6600cc;">
I can't imagine being here not having that support of an amazing, loving, and supportive church FAMILY. Surely, God is so pleased the way Living Waters show their love to one another :)
It was just really on my heart to share that with you all!
I know that I mentioned the wide array of stories and lives here, but I wanted to share with everyone what I have learned [and AM learning] by hearing all of them,
This sums it up: God can not be contained in a box.
I think too often, especially living in the culture and society we live in in Lancaster County, we try to make God make logical and neat sense. But He is waaaayyyyy to big for that.
To be honest, I kind of thought that I would have like the most "radical" [and I say that now laughing... almost histerically] life story. I had assumed that most everyone here would be straight from highschool and with stories maybe of having partied a little or something of the sort but for the most part definitely not being graduated college, having a career as a probation officer, having ALMOST been married, etc., etc. And no one really does, but there are so many people here with some really awesome stories of how God did big things, not the same big things as what He did in my life, but big things nonetheless.
And He is not done for sure. There are people here who don't even know Jesus....... yet :) That blew me away. And made me super super excited at the same time.
Mostly everyone here was raised in a Christian [I use that term lightly] home... going to church, praying, etc. There are only like three of us who haven't been. Which has really made me think, A LOT.
Some of the people here are kind of "falling back" on that foundation. Which is totally awesome. But they've gotten to a point, mostly a point of high school graduation, or had a "job" and needed more, so they're here! For some unknown reason I thought that for someone to apply for a DISCIPLESHIP TRAINING SCHOOL, they would definitely be in a place where they have just had some major realization of how Jesus really wants them to live their life. You know, just like me... But God was like "Umm, excuse me Jade. Please don't try to contain me in a box I don't belong it." [hah, that's what I translated it to :] But seriously, He has definitely opened up my eyes to a major truth.
People are continually searching.
Not just when they know Him and He does big things like save them from making huge "not so good" decisions. But always. And sometimes even when they don't even know that's what they're searching for :)
Well, now that I've taken a good half hour of your day... THANKS FOR LISTENING/READING! I hope you've enjoyed my realness. I just couldn't cheapskate God on the real good stuff that's been going on in this 'ol heart of mine :)
Feedback is more than welcome! My e-mail again, is JLeh108@yahoo.com.
<3 color="#cc33cc">Jade
It's been three days already!
So much to catch up on!
It's definitely nice that I can't be caught up in the internet or other means of communication but it stinks that I can't tell you more stuff all the time!
Soooo. We shared the rest of our testimonies which of course was great. I went last. Only a few baby tears; it went really well. I was a tad bit nervous because I was afraid that I'd ramble and bore everyone, but it was fiiine.
After the last of the testimonies yesterday morning we went on a really sweet photo scavenger hunt. It was so much fun :) There were three of us girls that live in my house and one lone ranger from Australia, Kodan, who is only 17! But he is super mature for his age. I can't wait to show that pics. We had to go around Maroochydore and take pictures with certain things/people/places. We had to perform an 30 second aerobic video in a prominent public place.... on a second story coffee shop patio that overlooked a shopping mall called the plaza. The stranger that filmed it for us was awesome and say "Macho Man" in the background. We are definitely getting bonus points!!!
This weekend is definitely going to be filled with fun and getting to know everyone, and I'm really excited about that. Even more excited to really get started with school next week! Giddy up :)
More to come soon...
<3 Jade
p.s. Big Sal, I definitely felt like a DCP transport :) haha. Miss you guys!
It's definitely nice that I can't be caught up in the internet or other means of communication but it stinks that I can't tell you more stuff all the time!
Soooo. We shared the rest of our testimonies which of course was great. I went last. Only a few baby tears; it went really well. I was a tad bit nervous because I was afraid that I'd ramble and bore everyone, but it was fiiine.
After the last of the testimonies yesterday morning we went on a really sweet photo scavenger hunt. It was so much fun :) There were three of us girls that live in my house and one lone ranger from Australia, Kodan, who is only 17! But he is super mature for his age. I can't wait to show that pics. We had to go around Maroochydore and take pictures with certain things/people/places. We had to perform an 30 second aerobic video in a prominent public place.... on a second story coffee shop patio that overlooked a shopping mall called the plaza. The stranger that filmed it for us was awesome and say "Macho Man" in the background. We are definitely getting bonus points!!!
This weekend is definitely going to be filled with fun and getting to know everyone, and I'm really excited about that. Even more excited to really get started with school next week! Giddy up :)
More to come soon...
<3 Jade
p.s. Big Sal, I definitely felt like a DCP transport :) haha. Miss you guys!
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Life is messy.
Wow.
We shared our life stories [testimonies] last night and today. So incredible to hear all the amazing people God has brought to this school... and we're not finished, which is awesome. We still have like 20 more to listen to! There are so many different people here... people with the "perfect" life, people with traumatic backgrounds, people with very different ways of life, people who still need healed, awesome Jesus freaks, people with stories almost just like mine! Just sooo many different walks and so many cool, real things to talk about. I am just overwhelmed by God's grace and His hugeness [if that's a word]. And even more excited about the next couple of months.
With that being said.... MY LUGGAGE ARRIVED! Which is not quite as cool, but pretty close up there [I did a cartwheel!].
So, the schedule seems to be pretty intense. I will definitely have free time, but there is definitely places to be quite frequently. Each morning we have lectures from 8-12 at a church- Maroochy Baptist- which is like a 15 minute drive [each house loads into their van] and then lunch is right after lectures until like 1ish [then we all load back into our van]. Each person has a work duty, which is bascially part of maintaining our DTS, there's lunch clean-up, house/base maintenence, dinner prep, dinner clean-up [which is mine!], church help [they help with things that Maroochy needs done], and house cleaning. There's an alotted time after lunch from 1-3 that is supposed to be used for our work duties, but obviously for some of us [including me!] our work duty falls at a different time, so it's pretty much free time :) Saaweet. However, then I have to stay later after dinner. So, there are definitely pros and cons to each duty! All in all not too shabby.
There are plenty of other things in our schdule too: small groups on wednesday afternoons, base worship on monday mornings, evangelism thursday and friday nights. There's plenty of good stuff that'll be taking up my time :)
So, I think that's all for now!
<3 Jade
We shared our life stories [testimonies] last night and today. So incredible to hear all the amazing people God has brought to this school... and we're not finished, which is awesome. We still have like 20 more to listen to! There are so many different people here... people with the "perfect" life, people with traumatic backgrounds, people with very different ways of life, people who still need healed, awesome Jesus freaks, people with stories almost just like mine! Just sooo many different walks and so many cool, real things to talk about. I am just overwhelmed by God's grace and His hugeness [if that's a word]. And even more excited about the next couple of months.
With that being said.... MY LUGGAGE ARRIVED! Which is not quite as cool, but pretty close up there [I did a cartwheel!].
So, the schedule seems to be pretty intense. I will definitely have free time, but there is definitely places to be quite frequently. Each morning we have lectures from 8-12 at a church- Maroochy Baptist- which is like a 15 minute drive [each house loads into their van] and then lunch is right after lectures until like 1ish [then we all load back into our van]. Each person has a work duty, which is bascially part of maintaining our DTS, there's lunch clean-up, house/base maintenence, dinner prep, dinner clean-up [which is mine!], church help [they help with things that Maroochy needs done], and house cleaning. There's an alotted time after lunch from 1-3 that is supposed to be used for our work duties, but obviously for some of us [including me!] our work duty falls at a different time, so it's pretty much free time :) Saaweet. However, then I have to stay later after dinner. So, there are definitely pros and cons to each duty! All in all not too shabby.
There are plenty of other things in our schdule too: small groups on wednesday afternoons, base worship on monday mornings, evangelism thursday and friday nights. There's plenty of good stuff that'll be taking up my time :)
So, I think that's all for now!
<3 Jade
Monday, January 14, 2008
First day of school
Hello everyone!
Still no luggage. Oh well. God is teaching me so much about material things and possessions. I actually am doing just fine without them. I mean, I would really like to have my OWN things, but it just reaffirms that material things are just that, material and will go away and even when you don't have them, you're still alive! Jesus will never leave or get lost! And that I can count on :)
So we had our first day of school today. Basically it was a lot of introduction stuff. The good old toilet paper tell-us-about-yourself game... it was actually quite fun. And I got to go to the beach today! Kinda of overcast, but who cares. It was fantastic! The sun is a little intense here... apparently there's a hole in the ozone layer? So I got some good sun in just like two hours :)
Hope all is well on the homefront! ... a little prayer for the luggage would be appreciated.
<3 Jade
Still no luggage. Oh well. God is teaching me so much about material things and possessions. I actually am doing just fine without them. I mean, I would really like to have my OWN things, but it just reaffirms that material things are just that, material and will go away and even when you don't have them, you're still alive! Jesus will never leave or get lost! And that I can count on :)
So we had our first day of school today. Basically it was a lot of introduction stuff. The good old toilet paper tell-us-about-yourself game... it was actually quite fun. And I got to go to the beach today! Kinda of overcast, but who cares. It was fantastic! The sun is a little intense here... apparently there's a hole in the ozone layer? So I got some good sun in just like two hours :)
Hope all is well on the homefront! ... a little prayer for the luggage would be appreciated.
<3 Jade
Sunday, January 13, 2008
School starts tomorrow!
Well, my luggage still hasn't arrived... but it's okay. Thank God for Ashlee! My friend from home of course has provided with me with some clothes. I've been wearing this fantastic green skirt for like 2 days now. I'm going to start being known as Jade with the green skirt.... awesome right?
So we went to church this morning. An awesome church called GoodLife. And they meet in a gym! Felt so at home :) It was so nice.
We had a little bar-b-que on the beach. So lovely. Australians are really big on recreation and so there's a lot of free outdoor services. We used these sweet gas grills at a pavillion on the beach at Alexandra Headlands. We cooked up some 'snaggs' on. A snagg is a mix between a hot dog and sausage... very interesting. The food definitely seems to be different, but I don't think I've been here long enough to give you a fair opinion... more info to come, I'm sure.
Anyway, it was really nice to finally have the whole school together. Sooo many people. There are 31 students :) from Canada, New Zealand, England, Switzerland, Denmark, and of course the good 'ol US of A! I'm so excited to get to know so many different people.
We had a house meeting tonight. Basically just to go over what's expected, pretty much all just common sense stuff. All the girls are great, it's going to be a blast living with them!
Well, school starts tomorrow!
<3 Jade
So we went to church this morning. An awesome church called GoodLife. And they meet in a gym! Felt so at home :) It was so nice.
We had a little bar-b-que on the beach. So lovely. Australians are really big on recreation and so there's a lot of free outdoor services. We used these sweet gas grills at a pavillion on the beach at Alexandra Headlands. We cooked up some 'snaggs' on. A snagg is a mix between a hot dog and sausage... very interesting. The food definitely seems to be different, but I don't think I've been here long enough to give you a fair opinion... more info to come, I'm sure.
Anyway, it was really nice to finally have the whole school together. Sooo many people. There are 31 students :) from Canada, New Zealand, England, Switzerland, Denmark, and of course the good 'ol US of A! I'm so excited to get to know so many different people.
We had a house meeting tonight. Basically just to go over what's expected, pretty much all just common sense stuff. All the girls are great, it's going to be a blast living with them!
Well, school starts tomorrow!
<3 Jade
Saturday, January 12, 2008
I'm here!
Hi everyone. I made it! It was a long, frantic, crazy but completely successful journey! And I am so glad that I made it here in one piece! Basically, my flight to Austraila was mysteriously cancelled (not by them, but by me!) so I had to book a new flight. I think it was for the best, because it was a much better airline, and I got here sooner! :)
I met a fellow YWAMer waiting for my bus to the base at the Brisbane airport. Her name is Leann and she is lovely! We talked the whole way to the base! Imagine that. Everyone here is super super nice. And even through all of my traveling fiascos I was definitely reminded that people ARE nice and WANT to help you. Yay!
More to come soon...
<3 Jade
I met a fellow YWAMer waiting for my bus to the base at the Brisbane airport. Her name is Leann and she is lovely! We talked the whole way to the base! Imagine that. Everyone here is super super nice. And even through all of my traveling fiascos I was definitely reminded that people ARE nice and WANT to help you. Yay!
More to come soon...
<3 Jade
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Day 1- Still in Lancaster!
I have a story already!... before I even left my house :)
So, that flight from PHL to LAX... umm, doesn't exist. I booked a flight from PHL to Las Vegas, NV for January 29th, 2008. Yes, I am that... I have no explanation. No reasoning. :/
Well, the bad news is I lost the $104.00 (the outrageously cheap, good deal I thought I got) and cried. But the good news is I reserved a flight from Baltimore that leaves at 6:05 p.m. and arrives in LOS ANGELES at 8:52 p.m.
Please, please, please pray that my luggage makes it! :) And I guess me too.
Some more good news, GOD IS AWESOME. Just as I frantically checked my e-mail for my CORRECT flight information, I received a perfect, one of those "that's exactly what I needed" e-mails:
"...I know that you are probably afraid (I know that I would be) but God's voice is stronger than your fear. I do believe that He is in every moment of our lives but sometimes gets crowded out with all the other stuff. I pray that you see Him in all that you do. I pray that you always feel His presence with you at every moment. I pray that He holds you and keeps you safe..."
Just amazing.
<3 Jade
So, that flight from PHL to LAX... umm, doesn't exist. I booked a flight from PHL to Las Vegas, NV for January 29th, 2008. Yes, I am that... I have no explanation. No reasoning. :/
Well, the bad news is I lost the $104.00 (the outrageously cheap, good deal I thought I got) and cried. But the good news is I reserved a flight from Baltimore that leaves at 6:05 p.m. and arrives in LOS ANGELES at 8:52 p.m.
Please, please, please pray that my luggage makes it! :) And I guess me too.
Some more good news, GOD IS AWESOME. Just as I frantically checked my e-mail for my CORRECT flight information, I received a perfect, one of those "that's exactly what I needed" e-mails:
"...I know that you are probably afraid (I know that I would be) but God's voice is stronger than your fear. I do believe that He is in every moment of our lives but sometimes gets crowded out with all the other stuff. I pray that you see Him in all that you do. I pray that you always feel His presence with you at every moment. I pray that He holds you and keeps you safe..."
Just amazing.
<3 Jade
Day 1- January 10, 2008
The day has come!!! I'm gathering up some last minute things then we're off to the airport around 12:30 this afternnoon.
Here's my route:
1/10 PHL (3:50 p.m.) to LAX (6:37 p.m.)
1/10 LAX (10:30 p.m.) to FIJI (5:15 a.m.... saturday morning!)
1/12 FIJI (12:15 p.m.) to Brisbane (2:15 p.m.)*
Then I'll take a Sun-air bus from the airport right to my doorstep!
*I'll be arriving in Australia Eastern Standard time (our time) 11:15 p.m. friday night.
I'm trying to mentally prepare myself so that I can focus and pay attention to where I need to be... I can not afford any blonde moments! I'm sure I'll have plenty of stories just in the 24 hours of traveling to Australia :)
I just have to thank everyone (again!) for all of your awesomeness! I am so, so blessed to be surrounded by absolutely wonderful people.
Well, here we go! Talk to you soon.
<3 Jade
Here's my route:
1/10 PHL (3:50 p.m.) to LAX (6:37 p.m.)
1/10 LAX (10:30 p.m.) to FIJI (5:15 a.m.... saturday morning!)
1/12 FIJI (12:15 p.m.) to Brisbane (2:15 p.m.)*
Then I'll take a Sun-air bus from the airport right to my doorstep!
*I'll be arriving in Australia Eastern Standard time (our time) 11:15 p.m. friday night.
I'm trying to mentally prepare myself so that I can focus and pay attention to where I need to be... I can not afford any blonde moments! I'm sure I'll have plenty of stories just in the 24 hours of traveling to Australia :)
I just have to thank everyone (again!) for all of your awesomeness! I am so, so blessed to be surrounded by absolutely wonderful people.
Well, here we go! Talk to you soon.
<3 Jade
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